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In this inquiry-based investigation, children use ultraviolet detection beads to explore unseen energy produced by the Sun. The experiment, developed by NASA, is presented in the context of the Messenger spacecraft: how can a craft be designed to withstand the proximity to planet Mercury without melting? The lesson is completely turn-key, with printable worksheets, data table, warm-up and reflection questions, and detailed background information. Don't miss the pattern for building a model of the Messenger spacecraft, complete with sunshade and solar "panels".

See Related Materials for links to the NASA Messenger home page and to a You Tube video on how to use UV color changing beads.

This item is part of a larger collection of lessons compiled and edited by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science).

Editor's Note:Young children can't yet understand the complexity of energy as a physical science concept. But by experimenting with light, heat, electricity, magnetism, and sound, they begin to grasp that phenomena can be observed and measured.....even controlled. By describing properties of objects and changes over time, they build a foundation to understand energy as an agent of change that underlies interactions of matter. Note about lab materials: A pack of 250 ultraviolet detection beads can be obtained at science supply stores for less than $10.

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Fun and thought-provoking experiment that uses inexpensive UV color-changing beads to explore unseen energy produced by the sun. Developed by NASA, the lesson is presented in the context of the Messenger mission to Mercury: how can a spacecraft be built to withstand the proximity to Mercury without melting? Includes worksheets, data table, warm-up & reflection questions, and detailed set-up procedures. Don't miss the pattern for building a model of the Messenger spacecraft!

American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science NetLinks: Sensing Energy. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2010. http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-energy/ (accessed 3 March 2015).

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